F1 News

Alex Albon knows he needs to close the gap to Max Verstappen

Alex Albon knows he needs to "close the gap" to Max Verstappen

08-02-2020 11:02 Last update: 11:41

Alex Albon says he wants to cut the gap between him and Max Verstappen in 2020 in his first full season with Red Bull Racing. Albon impressed in his rookie season in F1 and was chosen to replace the underperforming Pierre Gasly after just 12 races of the 2019 season.

Albon showed more promise in the senior team than Gasly did, which is why he was kept on for 2020, but he was still nowhere near the ultimate pace of Verstappen.

However, he is focusing on closing that gap to Verstappen and hopefully challenges the top drivers more in 2020 than he did in the second half of last season, where he failed to score a podium.

He told Sky Sports: "I know I have to work on myself, I don't think I am already there, but I am still working on it. I feel that there are things that I need to improve.

"At the moment I see Max as someone with whom I can discuss and with whom I can improve by looking at data and seeing where he is fast, because it is of course no secret that he is very fast. At the same time I am focused on myself and I will try to close the gap, and ultimately try to be better than him, that would be nice."